Start To Finish: One-Family '71 SS

It takes a sentimental fool to restore a battered Midwestern jalopy like Tom Parker's '71 Chevelle, but thank goodness for sentimental fools. Back in 1971, Tom's dad, Charlie, bought this car new for $5,047. It got handed down to Tom's two older brothers, and by the time he got the keys, it was no longer in running condition. After the Chevelle sat in storage for 23 years, Tom decided to restore it for his old man. It wasn't the car's original 402 big-block or four-speed stick that made it special to Tom, but rather the childhood memories he had of brawling with his brothers in the backseat during countless cross-country road trips. It's the car that brought Tom home from the hospital, so he felt determined to restore it back to showroom-fresh condition. That daunting task fell on the shoulders of Precision Restorations PrecisionCarRestoration.com in St. Louis, Missouri. After a grueling, yearlong restoration, the only original metal that remained were the firewall and windshield frame. Here's how it all went down.

[11.08.2010]

By the time the Chevelle arrived at Precision Restorations, four decades worth of winter snow and summer humidity had weathered the Chevelle beyond recognition.

[02.14.2011]

Upon dissembling the body panels to assess the extent of the rot, the hood, fenders, trunklid, doors, and quarter-panels were deemed unsalvageable. The cowl, floorboard, and trunk floor had sustained severe rust damage as well.

[02.15.2011]

The front clip was removed, and the motor and trans were pulled for inspection. Since both the 402 big-block and Muncie four-speed were original to the Chevelle, Precision Restorations rebuilt them back to factory specifications in-house.

[02.21.2011]

Arguably the most thrashed panels on the entire car, both quarters had big dents, lots of rust, and hunks of body filler everywhere. As such, they got hacked off and replaced. Afterward, the trunk floor was also replaced.

[02.25.2011]

With all the rat poop out of the way, technicians cut out the floorboard in multiple sections. This is never a fun job, but not having a roof to contend with made it much easier to wrestle the replacement floor in position.

[03.01.2011]

Once the new hood, fenders, doorskins and quarter-panels were installed, the Chevelle started resembling its former glory. Since the metalwork was completed at this stage, the next step was separating the body from the frame.

[07.13.2011]

The frame and original control arms were media-blasted and painted with POR-15. The springs, shocks, tie rods, brakes, suspension bushings, body mounts, and brake lines were replaced as well. As with the engine and trans, the Chevelle still had its original 12-bolt rearend, which were rebuilt with a new ring-and-pinion set and fresh bearings.

[12.08.2011]

After the body and frame were bolted back together, the body panels were stripped to bare metal, then sprayed in a high-build primer and guide coat. Next, Precision Restorations painstakingly blocked the car in several stages, gradually progressing from 180- to 400-grit sandpaper. Finally, the new sheetmetal was sprayed in four coats of GM Burnt Orange paint and three coats of clear.

[02.15.2011]

After the paint was color-sanded and bufed, the entire convertible top was replaced before moving on to final assembly. As with the exterior, every single item in the interior had to be replaced or restored, including the dash, seats, door panels, carpet, center console, gauges, door handles, and window cranks.

[02.03.2012]

Having survived more than 20 years of neglect, the Chevelle was finally back on the road again. Since the car had not run during the entire time it was in Tom's possession, he had to wait 41 years to drive it for the first time.